CASTANER

The first shoes signed with the name Castañer are dated 1776 and they were made by Rafael Castañer. The Castañer firm, worldwide famous for the typical “espadrillas”, represents the evolution of Luis Castañer and Tomas Serra’s atelier opened in 1927. The workshop followed ups and downs of Spanish history: it was nationalized in 1936 with the aim to produce shoes for the civil war’s soldiers and in ‘50s the atelier had financial difficulties. Castañer’s success is due to the meeting between Lorenzo and Isabel Castañer and Yves Saint Laurent. Yves Saint Laurent in the earliest ’60s were attracted from their work and commissioned the first espadrilles with high heel. This has been a launching pad for the firm that was able to renew itself turning traditional shoes into luxurious items. Nowadays Castañer ‘s collections include sandals, shoes and boots and they also work with some of the most important names of the fashion world.